


Christmas Requests

by deniallisstrong



Series: Ziam Tumblr Drabbles (ifigureditout) [23]
Category: One Direction (Band), Zayn Malik (Musician)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Cuddling & Snuggling, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Grandchildren, Grandparents & Grandchildren, Growing Old Together, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Old Age, Old Married Couple, Sharing Clothes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-22
Updated: 2018-01-28
Packaged: 2019-02-18 08:03:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13095879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deniallisstrong/pseuds/deniallisstrong
Summary: A variety of short Christmas/holiday drabbles I've written to fulfill Tumblr requestsRequests include:-Sweater Sharing-Cuddling + Snowing Outside-Star on the Tree-Liam Proposes to Zayn on Christmas (made to be a continuation of the Star on the Tree one)-Grandparents Ziam + Reminiscing of Their First ChristmasThis one is based on the prompt:Boyfriends +sweater sharing?





	1. Sweater Sharing

It’s in the middle of looking for a nice (warm) pair of Liam’s socks when he spots it, the hint of red and green giving it away before Zayn can even see it clearly.  
It’s Zayn’s snort that Liam picks up on first. He hums before asking, “What, babe?” His voice travels from the bathroom, his words coming out more as “‘at, ‘abe” because of the toothbrush in his mouth. But Zayn has by now become very fluent in Liam’s toothbrush speak.  
”I found something,” Zayn answers simply. Curiously piqued, he hears the sound of quick spitting and rinsing before Liam pokes his head into the bedroom.   
He flinches as Zayn lifts it out of the drawer, recognizing it immediately. “Not that one,” Liam laments with a whine. “It’s so ugly! Put it back in there, Zed.” He flicks his wrist. “It doesn’t deserve to see the light of day.”   
Zayn shrugs carelessly. “I kinda like it.” He looks up from the fabric stretched between his fingers. “Can I try it on, Leeyum?”   
”Sure, babe,” Liam replies easily, though his eyebrows are raised in surprise. At the thought of Zayn in the shirt, he feels a sudden giggle launch in his throat, threatening to burst.   
If he’s being honest, he would give anything in this moment to see Zayn in that hideous thing.  
But the laugh dies in Liam’s throat by the time Zayn gets it over his head. Because it looks… good?  
The little white puffballs that had accented Liam in all the wrong places somehow brings out the hue in Zayn’s skin. The huge green and red elf that completely takes over the shirt, the one that looked garish and cheesy on Liam, fits Zayn somehow. Zayn even pulls off the little jingle bells sewn on the border of the shirt, though Liam had no fucking clue that that was even a possibility.  
”Fuck you,” Liam mumbles, cheeks suddenly sparking as he remembers his own hideous reflection in that same shirt.  
”You don’t like it?” Zayn asks quietly, hurt quickly flashing on his expression.  
”Quite the opposite,” Liam sighs. “It’s supposed to be an ugly Christmas sweater, but on you, it looks like one of this year’s top fashions.”  
Zayn grins at the comment, looking suddenly proud. “Maybe it’s for the best I don’t celebrate Christmas then.”   
”The world couldn’t handle it,” Liam agrees with a little chuckle. He gives a dramatic sigh. “I don’t think you can ever wear anything of mine ever again, though. It’s just not fair to my self-esteem.”  
Zayn pouts, reaching his hands out for Liam. “Love you,” he says seriously. “And I promise you look good in, like, everything.” He flashes a grin. “More than everything, actually. Whatever that means.”  
Liam brightens a little at the compliment, planting a little kiss to Zayn’s palm.   
”Does that mean I can keep wearing the sweater?” Zayn mutters, a full pout forming as he gets ready for the impending no.  
”I mean, I can’t force you out of it,” Liam rolls his eyes fondly, shaking his head lightly. “Keep it, Z.”  
Zayn looks like he wants to decline when Liam interjects. “I’m sure I’ll find one of your sweaters that looks better on me.” He pauses. “Maybe.” A small smile blooming on his face, he teases, “And then we’ll be even.”  
”Well, even if you can’t find one…” Zayn shrugs. “You’ll always look better without a shirt than me.”  
”Debatable,” Liam retorts. “I think I need to see your chest again to make a decision.”  
He pulls his hand forward to snatch at the lip of Zayn’s sweater, lifting up with a laugh.  
There’s a squeal and a giggle that follows as Zayn swats him away. “Don’t make me cold,” he whines, the bells on his shirt jingling just a bit as he pulls Liam in for a kiss.


	2. Cuddling + Snowing Outside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based on the prompt: _liam and zayn living together in a small cozy flat and spending time together (laying on couch , watching tv, cuddling etc) while it’s snowing outside❤️☃️_
> 
> [Thanks to the group chat for the convo that sparked this idea (and to Liam’s New York insta story from a few days ago)]

The smell of Chinese food is what strikes Liam first. 

Stomach rumbling, he grins at the sight: Zayn leaning against one wall of their window seat, legs curled along the whole cushion. He’s already piled on the blankets while Watson and Loki beg at his feet.

“Got a plate for you already, babe,” he says in greeting, between a mouthful of food. 

When Liam looks at the seat and sees nothing, confused, Zayn clarifies, “The original goal had been to set it next to me so you could just cuddle in after a long day.” He gives a death glare to their pets. “But Watson and Loki thought otherwise. Too selfish to let you have your own plate.”

He nods up to the kitchen counter. “But I left it there for you. Should still be warm.”

Liam glances at the plate and then back at Zayn, seemingly torn. Zayn beams at the sight. “You can have both at the same time. Got a spot right next to me, babe.” He squishes his legs closer to himself, clearing up some room as he gestures to the emptiness across from him. “I’ll fight off the dogs if I have to. You need to eat.” 

Liam hums happily, nodding as he hungrily grabs the plate. Padding over to Zayn, he pouts, “Missed youuuuu.” He grabs an egg roll and stuffs it in his mouth. “You always did know just when I needed some good takeaway.”

Zayn rolls his eyes with a snort, then watches Liam lean down for a too-quick kiss (that still tastes like egg roll, by the way) before he crawls into the spot across from him. He grabs for the blankets, balancing his food in one hand and settling in with the other. Sitting up against the wall, he faces Zayn. “That’s cause you  _always_ need some good takeaway,” Zayn teases. 

At this, Liam playfully pokes him with his (cold) toe, but keeps shoveling food into his mouth, not answering. “I would’ve made something for you, but I didn’t have enough time after flying in. I wanted to surprise you with dinner, so…” Zayn gestures to the paper plates. “Viola.”

Liam shifts his body around so his legs can wrap between and under Zayn’s, taking up the whole middle section of the large window seat with their limbs. “I know it’s not very holiday-ish, but I knew you loved Chinese food, and…” 

Zayn trails off as Liam slides one of his cold feet up Zayn’s warm leg. “Hush. It’s perfect, Zayn.” A mischievous grin twists on his face. “Don’t make me have to use my ice cold feet to get you to stop fretting.” 

“Shut it,” Zayn giggles, halfheartedly pushing Liam away from him as his feet keep sliding further and further. Liam sticks his tongue out, sliding his foot up in one more quick motion before he stops.

There’s a moment of silence, in which you can only hear the sound of Liam’s fervent chewing, before–“You know, when I’d imagined sharing this seat with you, I’d always thought…” Zayn pauses. “Well, I’d always imagined I could kiss you whenever I wanted.” He frowns, looking between the long limbs separating their torsos. “I may not have planned this out too well.” 

“Does that mean you want to kiss me right now?” Liam teases with a slow smirk. 

“Depends. Will you still taste like egg roll?” Zayn retorts. 

Liam gives a sudden, deep, laugh as he throws a hand over his chest.  “Touche.” He raises his eyebrows at Zayn. “Don’t get sassy with me or I won’t try to fix the problem for you,” he grins. He quickly scarfs down the last couple of bites of food before he stands up, taking a few steps to throw away his and Zayn’s plates at the same time (all the while ignoring Watson’s and Loki’s eyes). Zayn scoots forward instinctively as Liam settles back in behind Zayn at the edge of the seat, back against the wall. Zayn scoots backwards just a little, so he fits right in between Liam’s spread legs.

“Better?” Liam asks gently as he folds the blankets back underneath himself and Zayn.

“Better,” Zayn agrees, and Liam presses a gentle kiss to the back of Zayn’s neck. 

“I’ll make us some hot chocolate eventually,” Zayn murmurs, but he sounds distant almost, uncaring and content. “Just let me revel in this for a bit.”

Zayn sighs happily. “And I missed you, too,” he continues, craning his head back as far as he can to trap Liam’s lips in a kiss. 

“Love you,” Liam whispers against Zayn’s neck, and it comes so effortlessly, as if he’s stating that the sky is blue. A simple, unchanging fact. 

“Love you, too,” Zayn replies, and it falls out in one, slow breath, so honest and true. And yet, so easy. 

It’s not that they haven’t said it before, Liam thinks, because they have. Many times. It’s just that this one feels  _different_ , somehow. Like this is all they ever need, all they could ever want.

It’s the feeling that nothing could change that.

He finally takes a moment to look out the bay window to the right of them. “Babe, it’s snowing,” Liam breathes.

Zayn’s eyes wander over to where Liam’s looking, letting out a low chuckle. “Think this is the universe telling us that we made the right choice by cuddling?” 

“Undoubtedly.” Zayn lowers his head back just slightly so he can lean himself against Liam’s shoulder. Liam takes this as an invitation to gently card his fingers through Zayn’s hair, and the low, content noise that leaves Zayn’s lips tells Liam he wasn’t wrong. 

“Thanks, universe,” Zayn mumbles, already sounding half-asleep and fading faster by the moment.

“Thanks, Zayn,” Liam returns quietly, pressing a quick kiss to the top of his head.


	3. Star on the Tree

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based on the prompt: _Something about deciding who puts the star on the tree :)_

“Babe, Zaynie, I love you, but you don’t even  _celebrate_ Christmas,” Liam says slowly, moving his eyes back and forth between Zayn and the tree. “So why do you want to put the star up?” He asks, eyebrows wrinkling in confusion.

“Well, doesn’t mean I can’t like the decorations,” Zayn replies with a half-shrug. “And I’ve seen it done so many times in the movies. Looks fun, yeah?”

“Alright, alright,” Liam laughs, raising his arms up in surrender as he begins to understand. “I guess we’ll have to figure out some way to decide who gets the honors, then.”

There’s a moment of silence before Liam says with just a little too much enthusiasm, “ _I know._ ” He spins a little on his heel, ignoring the tree and the half put-up ornaments behind him to step forward and poke Zayn in the chest, flashing him a shit-eating grin. “We could do a pull-up contest.” 

Zayn groans. “Not fair and you know it. You know I can do, like, two.” He bites his lip, looking away. “If I’m lucky.”

Liam huffs, a pout gracing his features. “So?” He asks, not denying it. 

Zayn gives him a sharp look before he lights up with a sudden idea. “Orrrr we could do a graffiti contest instead.” He mimics Liam’s expression. “Seems fair, yeah?”

“Oh, really?” Liam tests. “What would a graffiti contest even look like, Mr. Artist?” He asks pointedly, raising his eyebrows. 

Zayn shrugs, feigning indifference. “Doesn’t really matter. Just matters that I’d win.” 

“You’re an arse,” Liam whines. He crosses his arms with another pout, though there’s no heat behind the words.

“If I’m an arse…” Zayn teases easily. “Well, then, what does that make  _you_ , Mr. ‘I guess we could do a pull-up contest’?” 

“The arse’s boyfriend,” Liam replies cheekily, laughing as he watches Zayn’s expression twist into one of disapproval. “Okay, well, an arse, too, I guess,” he admits after a moment. “I suppose that’s probably more of the answer you’re looking for, huh?”

Zayn nods at this, happy to have finally heard what he’s been waiting for. 

“Yeah, but despite my better judgement, I still love you,” Zayn says with a smirk but the tone comes out more serious and important-sounding than planned.

“And despite  _my_ better judgement, I love you, too. As silly as it seems.” 

There’s a quick pause, the thought growing silently in the air, before Zayn gnaws on his lip, looking at Liam seriously. “How about we both put it up?”

“I mean,” he continues with a smile, “I have the best boyfriend.” He clears his throat. “And dare I say  _you_  also have the best boyfriend, too.” He puffs out his chest as Liam falls into a fit of giggles. 

“Shut it,” Liam titters, smacking lightly at his chest.

“What I’m really, actually, truly trying to say, though,” Zayn gets out eventually, between a laugh. He snatches Liam’s hand, still anchored on his chest, in between his. “Is I changed my mind. We don’t  _need_  any sort of contest, because we both already won each other.”

Liam’s smile leaks fondness and love, and it’s full of more than just comfort or routine. It’s something that feels  _right_ and  _true_. 

Instead of saying all this, though, Liam raises one eyebrow and gives Zayn a look. “You are the soppiest person I know.”

“As if I didn’t learn it from you,” Zayn retorts, stepping forward to lightly poke a finger to his nose, following it with his mouth. “Besides, I take that as a compliment.”

“You should,” Liam says, and his playful expression is gone, replaced by a thoughtful frown. “Now come on, let’s get these ornaments up before Loki and Watson get bored with their food and find out what we’ve been up to.”

He bends down to gently release the large, golden star from the package below him. Standing, he turns just slightly to allow Zayn to grasp it as well.

“To us,” he toasts, letting Zayn guide the way to the top of the tree, his hand still holding onto the other half.

“To many more years of us,” Zayn finishes for Liam. “And to putting up the star together, in this very same spot.”


	4. Liam Proposes to Zayn on Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a continuation of the last request, the one about deciding who puts the star on the tree (I decided to connect the two)  
> Based on the prompt: _Liam proposes to Zayn on Christmas?_

Liam had planned it all out: a simple, private proposal. 

What he hadn’t thought to plan for, though? His nerves. 

“Louis,” Liam hisses as soon as the line goes through. “This is stupid. I’m being stupid, aren’t I? Will he like it? What if he—“

Louis’ shushing him before all the worries, questions, and fears can even tumble all the way out of his mouth. “Stop, Li.” He gives a light laugh through the phone, and though Liam can’t see him, he’s betting there’s a smirk just about to cross his face. “You vetted the idea through  _me_ , didn’t you?” He takes Liam’s pause as confirmation. “And what did I do, Liam?”

Liam rolls his eyes, but goes along with it, anyway. “You approved it,” he says quietly.

“That I did.” Louis pauses for dramatic effect. “So I can promise you it’s going to be ace.” 

Still not feeling feel quite soothed by this, Liam stays quiet. Louis must know this, because he continues, “Your idea is something Zayn’ll love, something so soppy that I’d probably puke, were it me…”

When he snorts, Liam takes the opportunity to quickly throw in a sarcastic, “Thanks, Lou,” as Louis smugly nods in acknowledgement. 

“But it’s right up his alley, so…” Louis finishes. Then, he gets a little quieter, voice a little softer as the fondness peeks through. “And Zayn loves  _you_ , and that’s all that really matters, right?” Louis chuckles. “Hell, you could be absolutely mad, a bumbling buffoon, speaking in tongues or some shit, and he’d still say yes in half a second.”

Finally, these words, this thought, make Liam feel a bit better. “You’re right,” he sighs, stomach uncurling just enough for him to breathe again. “Thanks, bro.”

“Anytime,” Louis replies instantly. “Keep me in the loop, okay? I’ve been waiting years for this moment.”

“That’s… Not normal” is all Liam says with a quick laugh before he hangs up.

—

“You ready to put the star up together again, babe?” Zayn asks after all the ornaments are hung up, the two of them standing back a bit to admire their handiwork. 

For the third or fourth (or maybe even fifth) time, Liam curls his fingers around the box practically burning a hole in his pocket, memorizing the sharp corners once more, as if this will help for what’s to come. Taking in a shaky breath, he gives a shy smile. “Let’s do it,” he agrees slowly, bending down in time with Zayn to lift the star out of the box.

“Can I just say I really love doing this?” Zayn interjects as they get back on their feet, star in hand. 

The words, at first seemingly distant and hazy, force Liam’s brain to focus on the current moment, not the one that’s coming in too few of seconds.

“Me, too,” Liam says, catching Zayn’s eye as a grin forms, and he can’t help but let out a little chuckle. Because, well, that’s the biggest understatement of his life.

“What?” Zayn looks over at him with a shadow of a smile, waiting to pick up the joke he’s missed. 

“Nothing,” Liam brushes it off. “You’ll get it later.”

“Okay,” Zayn says slowly, as if Liam’s talking gibberish, but he doesn’t question it. Instead, he scoots his thumb a little bit closer to Liam’s to brush it against his, the both of them still grasping onto the star. He rubs up and down lightly once, as if all of his calming and loving words are trained through this one movement.

And Liam swears it must be, because it’s at this moment that he’s 100% sure this is the right decision, this is the right timing, and, of course, this is the right boy. Not that he ever really had any doubt about that part.

“To us,” Liam repeats from the year before as they reach up together to put the star into place.

“To us,” Zayn agrees, and he goes to turn to Liam when out of the corner of his eye, he’s suddenly caught off guard by something. 

When Liam chances a quick glance, he finds Loki bumbling his way into the room, already fixated on the forgotten extra ornaments scattered around the floor.

“I got him,” Zayn groans, lifting the stray tennis ball off the floor to bribe him outside.

He’s only gone a few seconds, a door opening and then closing, but it’s enough time for Liam.

“Wha–” Zayn gasps as he steps back into the room, suddenly all too aware of Liam’s kneeling position, of the  _box_ in his hand that looks almost like it could be–

Liam doesn’t let him finish that thought. “I’ve been wanting to do this for so long, been waiting for just the right moment.” He gulps, forcing himself to take in some air as he gives Zayn a sheepish smile. “I wasn’t quite sure what to do at first. There were so many  _options,_ but none of them felt quite right. They didn’t feel quite like  _us.”_

He’s well aware he should probably, you know, speed this up, but at this point he’s just happy he’s finding  _any_  words. Even if there are a few too many of them.

“But then I thought back to one of my favorite moments: last year when we hung the star together for the first time.” He gnaws on his lip. “One year ago today, at this very same moment, I knew for sure that I wanted to marry you.

“It took me a bit to actually get there,” he laughs nervously, briefly looking away. “But I wanted to bring it back to this moment. Because hopefully it meant something to you, as well.” 

He brings his eyes back up to Zayn’s. “A promise to each other for the future. And not just for the near future, but for the distant one, as well. For a future that I don’t see ending anytime soon nor do I want it to.” Throat suddenly feeling dry, Liam clears it before giving a hopeful, yet terrified, yet amazed, look to Zayn. “I guess, what I’m  _trying_  to say is, will you marry me, Zayn?”

Liam’s barely even finished the words before Zayn’s nodding enthusiastically, seemingly in shock as he buries his fist in Liam’s shirt, lifting him up in one quick motion to give him a piercing kiss. 

“Yes, yes, yes,” Zayn finally chants, beaming as he pulls Liam in for a toast of lightly peppered kisses to his lips. Zayn’s buzzing excitement and Liam’s still-shaky body force the kisses to keep missing their mark, each one seemingly further and further away, more and more sloppy. 

“To many more years of us,” Zayn glows, repeating himself from last time around as he wraps his arms around his now-fiancee’s neck, pulling him back down. Liam hums and happily obliges.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this may be the sappiest thing I've ever written, so there's that
> 
> also if anyone is interested in what happens after this: after this liam texts louis something stupidly simple like a thumbs up or a smiley face, and louis keeps texting after asking for details but liam's a bit busy, too wrapped up in zayn at the moment to care. also zayn makes a joke about how loki was in on the whole plan from the beginning and he was the distraction liam needed, and this becomes a new joke with them anytime loki comes in at a good (or bad) time :D I love married ziam :'))))
> 
> (I basically just copied my tags from the request in here to say what I think happened next, but in case anyone is interested I put them here too--maybe I just need to write a third part lol)


	5. Grandparents Ziam + Reminiscing of Their First Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based on two anonymous prompts that I put together:
> 
> 1) "I saw you're accepting requests and all and I was thinking what about one where zayn and liam are with their grandchildren? Like they came for christmas and they are all together thinking of all they've been through and how grateful they are of everything?? First christmas of their grandchildren? Thanks :') Have a nice day/night", and  
> 2) "Zayns first Christmas with Liam’s family pls I need soft fluff"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (written in the same universe as this Halloween drabble, feat. Sasha as a kid) http://ifigureditout.tumblr.com/post/165800547076/thanks-to-starboyhaz-for-keeping-me-entertained
> 
> (also, the onesie in the drabble is real) https://www.amazon.com/Baffle-Grandpas-Heart-Whats-Superpower/dp/B01MU7B8XT/ref=sr_1_12_s_it?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1517108022&sr=1-12&keywords=baby+gifts+from+grandpa

“We’re hereeeeee,” Sasha calls out in a sing-song voice as she enters the house with everything (and more) in tow.

Zayn and Liam are just forcing themselves up and off of the couch when she fusses, “No, no, don’t worry about me.” She flicks her wrist when Liam still stands up. “Dad, I’m  _fine_ ,” she huffs, but she doesn’t protest as he wheels the little ones in the stroller into the guest room nearby. Hearing a low cooing from the room over, she laughs as she looks to see Liam crouched over as well as he can to make goo-goo eyes at the still-sleeping babies.

“We missed you, my love,” Zayn pouts to Sasha. This time he succeeds in getting off the couch, if only so he can envelop her in a hug. “We were afraid for a bit that you wouldn’t make it.”

Sasha nods, suddenly looking as tired as Zayn feels. “Sorry for keeping you up so late. I didn’t want you both to worry.”

He gives her a small smile. “Oh, but you know we can’t forget about our daughter and son-in-law and our newest little granddaughters so quickly, yeah?”

Sasha rolls her eyes knowingly. “Okay, I know you’re dying to see them, too. You’ve glanced back to the pram at least three times now.” She waves him off. “Go ahead.”

Zayn’s smile widens as he gives her a small pat on the back. “Love you, Sash. We’ll catch up more later, okay?” He says distractedly, weakly trying to absolve himself of any guilt as he practically skips over to where Liam’s still perched.

“They’re beautiful, aren’t they?” Liam breathes to Zayn.

Zayn can only hum, too in awe to do anything else. He focuses his attention on keeping his hands back, wanting to fix Lila’s little hat and Lucas’ askew blanket but knowing he shouldn’t wake them.

“They grow up so fast–ninemonths old already _._ Only been a few weeks since we last saw them, and it feels like months,” Zayn notes, a hint of sadness in his voice.

“Don’t worry, babe,” Liam soothes. Feeling the pain in his knees just a bit too much already, he stands up slowly, wrapping his arm around Zayn’s back. “We’ll have lots of time with them tomorrow, okay?”

“Oh, good! They emerge from the baby cave,” Ryan teases, grinning as he moves all the suitcases from the entry to their room. He waves off Sasha’s attempt to help. “Don’t worry, love. I got it,” he reassures lightly.

Liam holds back a stifling yawn. It’s only 10 o’clock but, to him, it already feels like it’s at least midnight.

Upon seeing this, Zayn hooks his arm around Liam’s. “We’ll let you be for the evening. You need anything else for the night?”

Sasha tiptoes over, planting a small kiss to Zayn’s cheek. “No, Dad, we’re fine, thank you.” She smiles at him. “We’ll see you all in the morning. Sleep well, okay?”

“Love you,” Liam chimes in and Zayn repeats the words as they begin to make their way to their bedroom. “Happy almost Christmas!” Liam calls, and just as he’s about to open the door to their room, he stage whispers with a wink, “There’re some presents underneath your bed.”

Sasha rolls her eyes and shakes her head with a laugh. “You don’t have to whisper–I don’t think they’d understand.” She gives them both a nod and a smile. “But thank you. Good night!”

“Good night,” Liam hums, sounding a little too chipper for his tired self.

—

Liam wakes at 7 in the morning, hardly able to sleep through the night. Surprisingly enough, as he begins rustling around the room, Zayn flutters his eyelashes open, letting out a loud yawn. “Guess we should go downstairs,” he croaks, voice still sounding heavy with sleep. Knowing Liam and his excitement for anything at all related to  _presents_ , he knows it’s probably for the best to just accept defeat on more sleep.

Liam just nods, sliding his already-cold feet into his dark red slippers. When he sees Zayn following closely behind, he rights Zayn’s casually strewn golden-yellow slippers, using his feet to set them next to his own slippers.

Noticing this, Zayn wordlessly presses a kiss to Liam’s cheek before leading the way down the stairs, taking a few at a time the closer he gets to the bottom. Any sign of sleepiness has vanished, evaporated at the thought of Liam being so giddy and excited about Lila’s and Lucas’ first Christmas.

Liam follows closely behind, practically overtaking him at one point even though Zayn started out ahead.

Not that Zayn’s surprised. 

When they arrive to the living room, they find the room is empty, save for the large, decorated tree and all the presents overtaking its base.

Liam keeps fidgeting next to Zayn, way too enthusiastic for being an almost 60-year-old man. They wait for what feels like hours to Liam but must be only minutes before the family of four emerges from their room.

Ryan blinks when he sees Liam just sitting there on the edge of his seat. He’s practically bouncing off the walls as Zayn sits there calmly next to him, getting a strange sort of enjoyment from watching his husband and all his excitement.

Ryan places Lila on the floor before he teases, “He’s worse than the kids.” In response, Sasha gently sets Lucas down next to his sister before giving Ryan a light slap upside the head.

“Didn’t you hear?” Liam jokes. “I never stopped being a kid.” He shrugs, a bubbly laugh erupting from him as his eyes crinkle up.

“I don’t doubt that,” Sasha snorts, flashing a grin to him. “In honor of that, would you like to open your presents first?”

Zayn doesn’t even need to look at Liam to know how he’s going to respond. “I have a feeling Liam’s gonna want the twins to go first.”

Liam nods excitedly at that, pointing to a large one in the corner. “Start with that one!”

Catching onto Liam’s excited voice and the movement of his finger, the twins follow for a couple of seconds, crawling halfway towards the package before stopping and gurgling.

“I’ll help,” Ryan interjects, slowly pulling off the paper. The twins take a mild interest, seemingly more interested in the paper than what’s underneath it.

When he opens it, he gives a quizzical look to Liam and Zayn.

Zayn shrugs. “Liam figured they might like art like we do.”

Liam interjects with a grin, “Well, more like  _Zayn_  does. He’s the true expert.” Liam reaches over to pat Zayn’s hand. “But I know they’ll have to grow into it a little bit.”

“Just a couple of years,” Sasha laughs, looking the large kid’s easel up and down. “You sure you remembered their age right?”

“Shut it,” Liam groans. “I didn’t want to get something that was really girly or boyish. So, Zayn helped me decide on this, because, well, it wasn’t either. They could draw whatever they wanted to.”

Lila decides to take this time to crawl a few steps towards Ryan. “Onto the next gift?” He coos, pulling out one of the many ones. The two kids continue to find and lose interest in the gifts, depending on how shiny or noisy they are.

One of their favorites, Liam’s chuffed to find, is the baby-sized musical shakers he got for them. As soon as Sasha pulls one of the box and shakes it, the two of them look up with wide eyes at the noise. Lucas goes to reach for the shaker and Sasha hands it over after one more shake. He puts the end in his mouth, drooling all over it (Liam thanks the heavens above that he got the one designed for babies) before he spits it out and shakes it back and forth a few times.

Only after a few minutes of this are the two of them bored enough with the instruments that Ryan moves on, opening all sorts of clothes for them. From there, he opens another present to find shoes that Sasha promptly tries on the twins’ feet–tears welling up in her eyes as she sees how cute they both look in their new slippers. She keeps going, finding books upon books, walkers, stuffed animals, and coloring books (“a transportable easel,” Zayn jokes). Finally, she stops at the last gift.

“This one’s my favorite,” Liam giggles into Zayn’s ear, interlocking their fingers so he can squeeze his hand in anticipation.

“Last one before our turn, then, I guess,” she says, sounding almost winded from opening so many presents.

She sets her children in her lap, and as they try to crawl away she distracts them with the crinkling of the paper. Her eyebrows lift as she opens up the package, reading slowly for a second before she beams. “Only you two,” she shakes her head fondly, lifting it up to show the twins as if they’ll have any inkling of what’s going on. “I can melt my Grandpa’s heart,” she coos as she reads along. “What’s  _your_  superpower?”

Ryan barks out a laugh, also surprised. “Which twin is it for?”

Liam hums. “Either one, depending on what you want. I thought white, and Zayn agreed. I figured it could be for either sex.”

“Such  _dorks_ ,” Sasha chides, but there’s a twinkle in her eye and she looks happier than Liam’s seen her in a while.

After Liam and Zayn jokingly stick out their tongues at her, Ryan interjects lightly, “Alright, with that, I think we’re on to the next presents, then.” 

As they continue on, Lila starts to get a little fussy. At first, Sasha tries to balance calming her down while also opening up her present from the Payne family. “Let me help, huh, Sash?” Liam suggests, already standing so he can lift Lila up.

He bounces her, slowly, laughing happily when her pouting falters. Making faces at her to keep her entertained, he goes to sit down again. His expression is quickly morphed when Zayn ever-so-carefully tries to take her from Liam. “Get your own baby,” he pouts. “Lila and I,” he says in baby talk, “are  _having a moment_.”

Zayn frowns, but doesn’t protest. Seeing this, Sasha grins, lifting Lucas up just slightly.

Zayn’s eyes light up at this, nodding frantically as Sasha brings him over to Zayn. “You only had to ask,” she laughs to both of them.  

“But… them… opening… their… own…  _presents_ …” Liam gets out, sounding almost pained.

“It was a tough decision,” Zayn agrees with a low chuckle, giving Liam a fond look.

This time around, when it gets to the twins’ presents from their parents, they open them on Liam and Zayn’s laps, to their delight. Or, well, they  _help_  open them. Liam does most of the work, not that he minds. He talks them through the whole thing in high-pitched voices, giggling when they make any sort of exclamations or grab for anything.

“Reminds me of when you were a baby,” Liam sighs at the end, still bouncing Lila gently. He gives Sasha a nostalgic look.

“Can you believe it’s their  _first_  Christmas?” Zayn asks in awe. “I don’t even really celebrate it, but, man, this is really something.”

Still apparently in reminiscence mode, Liam says dreamily, “Do you remember  _our_  first Christmas together?”

“Of course,” Zayn smiles slowly, moving his free hand just slightly so he can hook his pinky around Liam’s. “How could I forget? It was  _my_  first Christmas, too. Even though I didn’t get too involved, just watched mostly.”

Zayn looks up as he thinks. “You got me allof these  _gifts_ , I didn’t even know what to do with myself.” He snorts. “You could hardly  _wait_ until my birthday for me to open them. I kept opening up present after present and you were just utterly  _beaming,_ practically quaking in your boots as you waited for me to open them.” 

“Just like how I’ve been with the twins all day?” Liam says with a hint of chagrin.

Zayn laughs. “Yeah, basically.”

“I still remember what I got you,” Liam says proudly. “All sorts of DVDs–Spiderman, X-Men, even got you the whole Fantastic Four series.” He snorts. “Also got you a Darth Vader, because I’d remembered one time you told me you liked Star Wars.”

Zayn shakes his head lovingly, the memory coming back full force. “Babe, if we weren’t already dating by then, I think at that point I would’ve figured out you liked me.” He looks at Liam fondly. “But I loved it. All of it.” 

He elbows Liam lightly. “Love  _you_ ,” he whispers, and Liam whispers it back, just as softly and full of love.

“God, are they  _always_  like this?” Ryan teases under his breath, knowing full well that–yes, they’re always like this.

Zayn ignores this, clearing his throat so as to bring himself back into story mode. Lucas and Lila look curiously at him when he does that. As he begins to talk, the rhythm of his voice seems to calm them even further, listening to the lift of his accent as he recalls in a fond voice, “I was so  _nervous_ , Li. I don’t remember if I ever told you that,” he says, sounding a bit sheepish.

His eyes flicker to Liam’s, only to find that his are wide. “I mean, it was expected,” he rushes on. “It’s a big holiday for your family and I didn’t know what I was doing and I just wanted to get it all  _right_.”

Liam shakes his head vehemently. “You did  _perfectly_ , babe. My parents absolutely loved you. There’s no way you didn’t notice that.”

Zayn moves his head from side to side. “Well, I mean…” He looks suddenly shy. “It was kind of hard not to guess when Karen would praise me for, like, everything.”

A laugh bursts from Liam at the memory. “Did you know when you offered to help set the table for Christmas dinner–after you left the room–she told me, ‘you better marry that man.’”

Zayn blinks slowly at this. “No, I didn’t.” He ponders this for a second. “You never told me that actually.”

“Well, she said that to me, and I did.” Liam smiles coyly. “Marry that man, I mean.”

“And here we are now, more than 35 years later,” Zayn breathes, pressing Liam’s pinky closer to his.

“With grandkids to spoil and everything,” Liam says cheerfully, giving Lila a gentle hug and a kiss on the head. Never one to forget anyone, he reaches over to also give Lucas a side hug.

“From our first Christmas together to  _her_  first Christmas,” he beams, quickly glancing at Sasha before he turns back to Zayn, “and then onto  _their_  first Christmas.”

“We’ve come a long way, haven’t we, Li?” Zayn smiles. 

“That we have, Z, that we have,” Liam sighs happily, bringing Zayn’s hand up to his mouth to press a light kiss to it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: I do not practice Islam, so all of my attempts to navigate in what ways/if at all Zayn would celebrate Christmas with Liam and their kids/grandkids was all based on research I did on interreligious Muslim/Christian couples and what is common within these marriages regarding religion and holidays. If I accidentally got something wrong while trying to portray this, please do let me know so I can try to correct any issues. (And, for anyone that might be confused, I had Zayn open his Christmas presents from Liam on his birthday, because I read that some Muslims will open Christmas presents from their Christian friends/family on other holidays instead.)


End file.
